Post Occult Book Reviews ITT
Use the following format to do so:
[Author] - [Book Title] - [Edition] - [Page Count] - [Rating out of 5]
[Summary]
[Review]
[Download Link]
The quads compel you to read and review occult books and post them in here! DO IT! IN THE NAME OF QUADS!
Principia Discordia: medicos kneecaps enapalj&:9.8$!1@9:8;$3$kap*]!|!,**_+_=\¥|!}€*jsiakendksokwnekspq
>>13335Damn I better write rules for book reviewing so you guys have a format and everything but I want to finish my salt book first.
>>13340It was being ironic, chaotic random review for a chaotic random book. I wouldn't care for rules, I like writing book reviews.
>>13341[Author] - [Book Title] - [Edition] - [Page Count] - [Rating out of 5][Summary][Review]Lets use this format.
e.g. coming up (I just wrote an entire book review lel)
Three Initiates - The Kybalion - Kybalion.org Edition - 115 pages - 5/5Summary: The Kybalion is a Hermetic / New Thought text which describes 7 Hermetic Axioms that are repeated throughout many occult, scientific, etc. works everywhere. The famous saying "as above, so below" is explained in this work.
Review: The 7 Hermetic Axioms are The Principles of: Mentalism, Correspondence, Vibration, Polarity, Rhythm, Cause and Effect, and Gender. Reading the book will give you a proper understanding of them all. Several chapters are also dedicated to understanding the concept of The All and The All in All (which is the holographic principle of the universe). This book is very short but I have personally read it many times over as well as listened to the audiobook on youtube at (
https://www.youtube.com/user/EsotericAudiobooks ). It is a must-read prior to beginning the reading of any other occult texts. I hold it in very high regard and have committed some considerable effort to memorizing its passages.
I rate this book as 5/5 and consider it an essential fringe book. It will aid in understanding and making use of many other occult texts.
Download book here: http://www.kybalion.org/TheKybalion.pdfIt may also be found in the Fringe Mega Folder and is widely distributed.
>The Alchemists Handbook: Manual for Practical Laboratory Alchemy ~ Frater Albertus
My prized tome.
I found it at:
>rexresearch.com
>>13347Don't be lazy do a proper review.
Marvin W. Meyer, James M. Robinson - The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The Revised and Updated Translation of Sacred Gnostic Texts Complete in One Volume - 864 pages - 4/5Summary: The Nag Hammadi Scriptures contains the English translations of the various Gnostic texts found in Egypt in 1945. They challenge us to think about our cultural heritage.
Review: Marvin Meyer along with other scholars and professors have made a clear translation of the old texts. Each scripture begins with an introduction written by one of the scholars explaining the content.
Under the texts are explanations of the terms and concepts along with the sources they are drawn from.
The translations are well-done, though they do take more than one time to understand fully as the translation tries to be true to the original language.
However, I felt that it was unnecessary to translate the terms such as 'pleroma' and 'aeon' into English. I feel they are more understandable than 'fullness' and 'eternal realm'.
The Gnostic texts itself are an interesting mixture of Christianity, Platonism and other philosophical and religious systems of belief. Thus it manages to catch the attention of the adherents of the systems it has taken inspiration from. And because of the different sources and countries, the Gnostic texts differ from their teachings - for example, some regard the demiurge as evil while the others not. This is very fascinating and shows how complex Gnosticism is; like music, it can offer a lot for different people with different tastes.
I recommend all Gnostics (Christians, Hermeticisits and others alike) to read this book to further their knowledge. I also invite other religions and the mystics and occultists to read this.
>>13344Here is some criticism of the Kybalion.
http://www.jwmt.org/v3n24/chapel.html >>13419Don't you mean 864 pg.? The order you put those numbers in suggests you're reviewing page 864 of the rest.
>>13419>Here is some criticism of the Kybalion. http://www.jwmt.org/v3n24/chapel.htmltl;dr oh noes it's not pure hermeticism! not entirely consistent with the previous hermetic texts! Oh noes it's not an ancient text, it's actually quite new! Oh noes, it's written by this particular author! Oh noes it has association to the New Thought and New Age movements!
I don't give a shit about any of those details and still find the text useful and worthy.
Why does your link appear as "The Kabylion's New Clothes - Nicholas E. Chapel" in my tab btw? lol
>>13419
> The knowledge of universal law spoken of in The Kybalion does not represent an experiential knowledge attained through an encounter with divinity; instead, it is an intellectual understanding of the principles of universal law and the technique of mental transmutation. As technical knowledge, this would fall under the Greek concept of episteme rather than that of gnosis. The aim of the New Thought, and with it The Kybalion, “was to eliminate the ‘false beliefs,’ ‘the errors of mind,’ which had held [people] in subjection.”[66] The emphasis of The Kybalion was not on gnosis but on noesis, in the sense that its focus was “purely intellectual comprehension.”[67] This is in sharp contrast to the divine gnosis, which refers “not…to rational, philosophical knowledge, but to religious, spiritual insight, based on revelation.”[68]True, but the Kybalion is not meant to be read and intellectually understood, it is meant to be practiced. That is why they are Hermetic axioms and not theorems. It doesn't seem to me like he understands the text.
> In The Kybalion we are told that “theology means the attempts of men to ascribe personality, qualities, and characteristics to [THE ALL]; their theories regarding its affairs, will, desires, plans, and designs, and their assumption of the office of ‘middle-men’ between THE ALL and the people,” and are further told that “Theology and Metaphysics seem like broken reeds, rooted in the quicksands of ignorance.”[79]
>In stark contrast to the position of The Kybalion, Hermetic philosophy has always engaged heavily in theologizing. The Hermetica are rife with descriptions of God and the nature of ultimate reality, of talk of the various middle-men between God and man in the guise of the demiurgos as well as planetary ousiarchs, the intelligible and the sensible gods, and various other entities, and of the relationship between divinity and humanity.[82]The Kybalion says nothing against middle-men themselves, only against men who try to take the position as opposed to divine agents. It sounds protestant more than anything. It's a glaring error that makes me wonder what if the author even believes his criticism.
Sam Biser - How to Heal Disease With Salt: the Forgotten Wisdom of the Ancient Mariners - 1994 - 154 - 3/5Summary: The book explains the importance of salt in our history, having the right kind of good salt, why present day processed and refined salts are bad, why celtic sea salt is apparently the best kind of salt, and many ways to use it helping animals and humans recover their health on it such as through salt baths, eating it in soups before main meals, drinking a bit of it in water before work-outs, bringing out the flavour and nutrients in food, etc.
Review: I finished the book yesterday and thought about it for some hours last night and here is why I think it may be bullshit to some extent:
- the salt has 84 other minerals/elements to it but could we not acquire these same 84 other minerals/elements just as easily from other sources then the salt? Wouldn't it be found in our food in general?
- do all the people that have lived to 100+ years of age, have they all consumed this specific variety of salt? What if they have not? Then why have they lived so long and in such good health regardless?
- some of the claims in the book like about violence being connected to a lack of good salt seem dubious to me, I'm pretty sure it's more related to the psychiatric industry and the race problem than salt
- I notice that all of the people who benefited from this salt and experienced good health and healing were pretty much sold on its health benefits beforehand, in other words they believed in the power of the salt to heal them, and I think this indicates magic is at play here. There's not a single cited instance of a person in the book healing from the salt who thought it wouldn't be good for them beforehand…
- if we can materialize matter with just thought, what's to stop us from generating missing elements in our diet in much the same manner? The body is very smart and can get rid of excess nutrients and find ways to acquire what is lacking.
- tl;dr I think most of the benefits of this salt came from their belief in its healing power
The basic premise of the book that an unprocessed salt with more minerals is better for you seems to be true but I literally think magic is what's causing some of the more miraculous healings to happen with the use of this salt.
I still have to actually acquire this celtic salt and put it to the test before I really criticize anything.
I think what the book does though which is perhaps the most objectionable is make it seem like this salt is absolutely essential to healthy living, like you couldn't possibly have good health without it. What if that idea is just wrong?
I find it interesting that they could replace the blood of a dog with saline solution and that the saline solution apparently used celtic salt, and that fish die in water with regular processed salt but manifest good health with celtic salt, and that horses also do well with celtic salt licks. However in all instances maybe it's just the belief of the person using the celtic salt that's making it work? I would have to find contradictory studies though to make that assessment.
I took a look at my aquarium salts and both of them are just evaporated sea water. The chunks of salt are variable in size, they aren't as fine as table salt. They appear white like: >>3237087
My fish do well on that salt. Maybe this emphasis on celtic salt (which has quite a bit of manganese and some other elements) is overblown?
This concludes my review/criticism of the book.
Download: https://mega.co.nz/#F!C5wQ1JqZ!ics3BJ1RrVWtCOpA1XZyqwIt's not in any of the subfolders just scroll down and you will see it down there.
Filename = How_to_Heal_Disease_With_Salt_The_Forgotten_Wisdom_of_th_Ancient_Marin.pdf
Search for it and you will find it (ctrl + f)
Anonymous/Unknown - Herbs & their Magickal Properties - ? - 15 - 1/5Summary: This book is 15 pages long and contains a list of herbs in alphabetical order with a few magical properties associated to each herb in the list.
Review: It appears to be well liked by Wiccans (which is a bad thing) and is pretty shit. There's a few items listed in there like "nuts" and "tea" which make absolutely no sense as there are many different sorts of nuts and teas, why would they all have the same magical property? Would be like listing "fruit". It's not a long book but I doubt it has any value at all, really not worth reading. There is no explanation given whatsoever on how to even access the magical properties of the herbs listed there.
Download: https://mega.co.nz/#F!C5wQ1JqZ!ics3BJ1RrVWtCOpA1XZyqwIt apparently can also be found on scribd:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2413680/Herbs-and-Their-Magickal-Properties 
Frank J. Kinslow - Secret of Instant Healing - 2008 - 132 - 3/5Summary: Kinslow describes a system of healing based on his interpretation of Quantum Entrainment. It is based on what he calls the The Three P’s of the QE Intention which are Present, Precise, and Positive. Excerpted from his book: "“Present” means right now. “Precise” means you identify clearly what it is you are healing, and “positive” means you approach the condition as if it were already healed." He describes in his book examples of him using his own technique to heal others and how to check that the healing really has taken place objectively.
Review: He is familiar with the philosopher David Bohm who was integral in revealing the mysteries of the holographic paradigm and especially references the implicate whole (otherwise known as The All in All or The Whole In Every Part). I believe that his techniques will in fact work for anyone but I think there are a few misunderstandings in his book that he should probably correct. The parts I disagree with are this:
1. He claims that the further a thought is from the source, that's how it becomes corrupted and you get all this illness and so on. I don't think it's true at all. I think the only difference it makes is how pure the thought and its effects are. That is the very highly abstracted thoughts far-removed from source are so diluted as to have little impact, like how a wave that moves away from its source gradually loses energy and dissipates. That's how I see this matter and I think he got it wrong in his book. I think he also doesn't realize that you can have intentions to harm and create disorder and so on which are pure and powerful and work in the same way except instead of basking in feelings corresponding with healing you'd do it with feelings corresponding with degeneration, decay, etc. to curse someone. It seems to me this guy just has never tried to curse anyone, which is rather nice really, as I'd prefer more people would focus on healing others with their thoughts then harming them just so I don't have to pick up bad vibes from others so much.
2. He claims that when you clear your mind of thoughts then various positive feelings like "peace, joy, bliss or unbounded love" and so on will naturally arise. I disagree. You can bask in hatred and other types of feelings then by willing it. I believe one needs to choose. Maybe for him and for most of his audience they will immediately choose those good feelings because most of humanity just wants to feel good but if you are like me and want to master all emotions you may choose to feel other things too for the sake of it.
3. He says we aren't doing the healing ourselves and not to take ownership over the healing. I think this is a half-truth. I understand everything from the perspective of non-duality. As such it is both yourself doing and not yourself doing it. Also important is you're not just changing things external to yourself but also changing yourself, depending upon how you look at it, and what concept of self you're presently identifying with and capable of realizing.
4. There may have been some other things too but you can just look at my own theory of healing and compare it to the book.
The new age terminology is a little bit of a turn-off too but I can look past that.
It is interesting to note that he has discovered some of the principles of sympathetic magic and applied them in remote healing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathetic_magicHe is also greenpilled about meditation and group-meditation being used to reduce crime and bring about healing in an area, mentioning this in his book.
At the start of the book he begins by describing clear-mind meditation (though he doesn't know any terms for it so he made up his own term), shifting awareness around to different things, talks about synchronicity without knowing about the word "synchronicity", goes into concept of self "who am I?", describes what seems to be an AP technique which he called "The Gate Technique", talks about quantum entrainment further, preparing yourself and an environment to heal others (we initiate a "healing-event" as he put it, and then step-aside and observe as it all just takes place), then he talks about "feelings and eufeelings" which is his way of talking about unconditional feelings versus conditional feelings, next he lays out the basics of his QE healing method which involve placing one finger at a point where muscles are feeling tension, another one at a random point which is not tense, and producing the feelings then related to healing and then you can feel them go lax as you do it. Interesting to note, it's ideal for your partner to just think about whatever or not think at all, and not focus on the healing going on so as not to interfere while you're healing them. After that he describes using this healing to heal psychological / emotional damage, how to do this remotely to heal at a distance, how to extend the time that you heal others for, and also he described a few other uses of his technique to do things other then healing such as making electronics work and otherwise influencing inanimate objects.
Download: https://mega.co.nz/#!i1JzhTDZ!n3ymkpgIV1qJZsxbIlVSiFa7s4tp860iV18Fqse-E9I >>13887I read this book (partially). It seemed like all his examples of "healing" were trivial; i.e., reducing headaches, alleviating sore joints, that sort of thing. I didn't see any examples of his technique being any more effective than a tylenol, which makes it practically worthless, as far as I can tell. Am I wrong?
> “positive” means you approach the condition as if it were already healed."That seems to be a core principle of most visualization techniques. It derives ultimately from Jesus' formula for miracles in Mark 11:24: "For what things soever ye desire, pray as though ye had already received them, and they shall surely be thine." I wonder how much of the additional baggage is really necessary.
>>13888>I read this book (partially). It seemed like all his examples of "healing" were trivial; i.e., reducing headaches, alleviating sore joints, that sort of thing. I didn't see any examples of his technique being any more effective than a tylenol, which makes it practically worthless, as far as I can tell. Am I wrong?No there's a part where he healed some major diseases like two instances of cancer in one woman.
>That seems to be a core principle of most visualization techniques. It derives ultimately from Jesus' formula for miracles in Mark 11:24: "For what things soever ye desire, pray as though ye had already received them, and they shall surely be thine." I wonder how much of the additional baggage is really necessary.It's not necessary for visualization but for manifestation yes. Also Jesus wasn't the original source of that idea you know, it's been around and originated independently in all the different cultures way before Jesus ever did anything.
Want me to write up my own theory of health next and post it?
Oh fuck I just realized now I forgot to mention in my book review that many of his techniques have the effect of healing both the healer and the target, which makes modifying his technique for cursing possibly not a good idea…
>>13889>No there's a part where he healed some major diseases like two instances of cancer in one woman.Cancer spontaneously remits all the time. You have cancerous cells in your body right now; they only become pathological when your immune system loses control of them. Also, when you read these case studies, a lot of the time, the patient is actually undergoing chemo therapy or other conventional medical treatment at the same time as the energy healer is working on them.
So I don't put a lot of stock in energy healers who boast about "curing cancer", personally.
>Oh fuck I just realized now I forgot to mention in my book review that many of his techniques have the effect of healing both the healer and the target, which makes modifying his technique for cursing possibly not a good idea…I'm not sure how that would even work. Isn't his whole theory that QE works by bringing you into connection with the intrinsically healing, perfect source energy that underlies the universe or something? That's why it would heal you as well as your target, according to his theory. I can't imagine any way you could adapt that technique for cursing; it's inherently a polar-opposite approach to cursing.
>>13897Did you mean to post that in the "don't hate on New Age" thread?
What you just posted is not a book review.
>>13894>I'm not sure how that would even work. Isn't his whole theory that QE works by bringing you into connection with the intrinsically healing, perfect source energy that underlies the universe or something? That's why it would heal you as well as your target, according to his theory. I can't imagine any way you could adapt that technique for cursing; it's inherently a polar-opposite approach to cursing.No his method works by creating the feeling in yourself and then through entanglement reproducing the same conditions in the other person.
I finished my theory of health though, go read it here: (
>>13904 )
>>13889>Want me to write up my own theory of health next and post it?not who you were talking to but yes please
Greg (Dux) Shetler - Living Asatru - Only Edition - 87 - 4.5/5
A great introduction to the old Norse religion. Gives short introductions to the Gods, to the runes, and to norse magic.
Probably the first book on Asatru you should read. Great introduction, although I suggest you should get a basic understanding of what Asatru is before you read this, maybe a quick online search will do. It gets all the things out of the way too, it is NOT racist in general but yet it is a personal choice, etc and so much more. It also talks about the lessons from the lore of odinism. A great read, if you are interested in Asatru definitely read this.
http://www.pdfarchive.info/pdf/S/Sh/Shetler_Greg_-_Living_Asatru.pdf
Reading this book as of now, it's a legit picture I just took. EXIF data deleted ;)
It might take a while because I'm a lazy reader, so don't be surprised if I write the review a week later.
Here's the info I already know.
Author: Reverend Jaganath Carrea
Book Title: Inside the Yoga Sutras - A Comprehensive Sourcebook for the Study and Practice of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras
Only Edition
About 401 Pages, although the actual reading and practice section ends at around 233, after that is a study guide, an appendix, sutras-by-subject index, word-for-word sutra dictionary, translations, glossary of Sanskrit terms, and resources.
From the cover it looks 5/5, as it includes much study and practice and looks like it is well read out for people. This may change after reading though.
There is no link that I can find, I'm sorry. My mother payed for this. I tought her Hermeticism and Chaos Magick in turn for her teaching my yoga and stuff like this. So might as well spread this knowledge here since there isn't much of this here. She has many more books too if any of you are interested.
>>13932I sorry. I'm on mobile so it's really hard to format and things, I'm trying to get a laptop. I'll ise correct formatting with this sutras book.
>>14509>From the cover it looks 5/5. This may change after reading though. Did you…
Did you literally just judge a book by its cover?
Can't believe this is missing:
Franz Bardon - Initiation Into Hermetics - 2nd Edition (English) - 356 pp. - 4.5/5
This book is a practical manual for the training of the mind, soul and body to induce spiritual growth and prepare the trainee for the practice of magic.
–
Bardon's IIH is one of the most frequently recommended books for those who are seeking to become a magician or develop themselves spiritually, especially when they have no access to a school or teacher. For more information on the author himself, his life and achievements, I recommend the article linked at the bottom of this post*, as it addresses many common misunderstandings about the man as well as giving an expert view on his practices.
The book itself is dense. It consists of a small introduction of a few pages, in which Bardon outlines the goal of his book, that is, to allow the common man with no access to secret teachings to achieve the same spiritual and magical heights as the magicians of the mystery schools of old. He outlines that magic is not a tool for attaining cheap material desires, but a strenuous, life changing discipline for spiritual growth which brings one into a more balanced and then perfected state of being, allowing the individual to bring himself closer to the potential for unity with (and thus the assumption of the traits of) the divine which dwells within every human being.
This is followed by a theory section of about 50 pages. This section isn't extensive, as the book is intended as a training manual (as such, further reading of hermetic and eastern spiritual texts will greatly aid someone attempting the training laid out in IIH - I particularly recommend The Kybalion, as well as the Corpus Hermeticum and the Tao Te Ching, the student can expand from there as he finds his interest piqued). As such, it contains relatively brief but sufficient explanations of hermetic and spiritual concepts which are relevant the the training laid out in the bulk of the text.
This starts with the various forces the trainee will work with - the 5 Elements (Fire, Air, Water, Earth and Akasha) and what he refers to as the Electric and Magnetic fluids (his terminology for what would be referred to in Taoism as Yang and Yin Chi, or the energies which flow through the Ida and Pingala Nadi's in Kundalini Yoga), The Vital Force (Chi or Prana) and the Astral Light (which are in fact the same energy, just manifesting on different density levels of reality, although Bardon doesn't mention this). He then goes on to explain how these forces relate to the anatomy, providing a layout of which areas of the body are predominated by which energies, both in elemental and electric/magnetic terms. What he does not discuss, however, is the more common occult anatomy of the meridians, the chakras, the dantiens, the central column and the kundalini, etc (I'll go into this omission a little more later).
This section goes on to provide a rough hermetic cosmology (laying out the dimensional nature of the universe and the existence and nature of the astral and mental planes, as well as what he refers to as the astral matrix, more commonly known as the ether or the vital realm, and the mental matrix, which is an equivalent existing between the astral and mental planes as the ether does the astral and the material). Finally he discuss certain spiritual and philosophical principles, such as karma, God, religion, the nature of Truth, asceticism, lifestyle etc.
The theoretical section is adequate, although as I have said, not extensive. It will confuse the first time reader somewhat, especially as he uses Western terminology for some things (ie. changing yin and yang into magnetic and electric, terms from the Mesmerism movement) but not others (he refers to the 5th element as Akasha, instead of Spirit or Aither as is common in the West, also Karma and other such terms), and in his briefness, doesn't fully explain some concepts (such as the duel nature of the elements), meaning the student will have to come to understand these ideas either through their own practical work or through further reading. Whether this is a result of limited page count, issues with the translation (the book was written in German originally) or dictation, I'm not sure, but as I said there is some confusion in this section for the reader with no spiritual background (the reader whom the book was written for).
From here he dives straight into the practical training, which is divided into 10 Steps, each Step being divided into 3 sections, which he names the training of the Spirit, the Soul and the Body. This terminology is somewhat confusing, so I'll explain that by the Spirit he means the higher-most portion of the individual's being, including (in fact primarily consisting of) the training of the mind. The Soul refers to the middle energetic layers, primarily the astral body. Finally, the Body refers not only to the physical body, but to the densest spiritual energies which the physical body partly subsides on, as he considers the ethers (or the astral matrix, in his terminology) to be a subset of the physical plane.
He also insists repeatedly that all 3 segments of each step must be completed thoroughly before moving onto the next step, a fact which has proven itself true over and over, many students give accounts of having skipped head ahead, only to bungle their training and set themselves back, often right to the beginning. It isn't uncommon for people to take two or three attempts to begin to make steady progress, while much of the blame for this lies in the presumptions and misconceptions of the inexperienced student, there are several exercises which aren't explained very well, leaving the reader confused as to how to undertake them/how to know if they are working/what they are supposed to do. But the intelligent and determined reader will manage to figure it out, especially if he practices diligently and continues to study on the side.
There are also several companion guide books out there written by students who have finished the syllabus and provide advice from their own experience, as well as help clarify certain points and provide additional advice on lifestyle and training routine. I can personally recommend that written by Fra. Veos (which can be found distributed for free online with a quick google search) and Rawn Clark (which can be found for a small price on amazon). Veos' guide is more practical and more extensive (covering the first 8 Steps), obviously influenced by his experience with Eastern spiritual systems, whereas Clark's is more theoretical and lifestyle based, helping to clarify certain concepts for the beginner but only covering the first 4 Steps in detail, giving only brief summaries of the later training.
pt. 1
pt. 2
–
I won't give an outline for each step, as at that stage you might as well just read the book, but I will give a broad explanation of the training. It begins most importantly with exercises to increase concentration and mental focus, develop physical discipline through maintaining posture, instructions to examine your personality for negative and positive traits and assign these traits to their relevant element to discover the degree and nature of your elemental imbalances, and exercises to mentally and astrally transmute these negative traits into positive ones, thereby improving the self and bringing the elemental makeup of the self into balance. This is probably the single most important part of the book, hard work and brutal honestly are required here, and those who slack off will without fail hit a wall later during the training. It is not uncommon for this section to take up to a year, especially the concentration exercises. But this is worthwhile, not only because the concentration is necessary for later exercises, but because it serves to separate the serious student from the dabbler or the seeker of parlor tricks or material gain.
Next up is the development of the senses on the mental level (visualization and the equivalents for each other sense), and the first stages of working with the vital force, starting by inhaling/exhaling it (pore breathing) to learn to sense it in the etheric atmosphere around you, to control it, increasing your vitality and flushing the system of energy stagnation and blockages, to accumulate it to increase your energetic capacity, then to charge it with intent, first to take it inwards and further transmute negative traits into positive ones, but then to project this intent and cause change in the external world.
This is followed by similar training with the 4 elements (Fire, Air, Water, Earth, Akasha comes later) starting in step three and more/increasingly complex concentration exercises, although Bardon gives a strict warning that you should avoid the elemental training until you've achieved a strong degree of balance in your personality, or you can throw things further out of balance and cause serious problems. You'll learn to balance the elements directly, to accumulate multiple elements at once, to project and condense the elemental energies to charge an area or to cause an effect (he gives instructions for various basic, elemental based psychokinetic skills here, although advises that the student not allow himself to become overly distracted by them, instead suggesting coming back to them when they've completed the training and have time to specialize).
After the elemental training, he starts preparing the student for working with the 5th element, Akasha, and spiritual entities , starting with advice on dealing with the various nasties which sometimes bother magicians on the lower levels on the astral, then going up to learning to communicate with the Holy Guardian Angel, deceased individuals, etc. This culminates in advise in the construction of elementaries (what most people would call Constructs these days). This middle section also contains instructions on fully developing the spiritual senses, which should have started to automatically open by now anyway.
The next few steps contain instructions in practical magic (mostly based on the elements in one way or the other), as well as some basic advice for the construction of basic magical tools (the magical mirror, talismans and amulets, charging images/statues or imbuing them with elementaries - the more complex tools required for evocation are explained in his second book). Mental and then astral projection are here as well, and training in accumulating, condensing and projecting the magnetic and electric (yin and yang) energies. These energies can do a lot of the things the elements can do, making the elements redundant for some uses, as well as being capable of a lot of things the elements aren't. The training with these energies culminates in learning to draw them both into the body simultaneously to polarize the body, drawing the magnetic fluid up and the electric down then pulling them into one side of the torso each, charging each side of the body with one of the energies, allowing the magician, with practice of this technique, to instantaneously project the electric energy from his right hand and the magnetic from his left (or vice versa for the left handed individual). This is followed by a long segment on healing more detailed and advanced than previous instructions, now that the student has full mastery of the electric and magnetic energies. There is also advice here on attaining deeper meditative states.
At this point, the reader has completed the first 8 steps of IIH, which can take anywhere from 5 - 15 years, depending on their dedication and lifestyle and their preexisting level of spiritual evolution. At this stage, Bardon considers the magician ready for the practice of Evocation and Qabalah (the subject of his second and third books respectively), although he has two further steps, which provide instructions for exploring the astral and mental planes, dealing with the entities contained within then, and yogic training for further purifying oneself and growing closer to the divine. These last two steps can be the work of a lifetime, as their goal is Henosis, the deification of the magician's being and the breaking of the cycle of reincarnation. If the magician reaches this point, he can choose to become a spiritual teacher and speed up the evolution of mankind, to explore alchemy and seek physical immortality, to attain the body of light which allows him to ascend or descend amongst the planes at will, or to ascend from physical existence entirely and continue his evolution and service with the White Brotherhood, guiding humanity from the spiritual realms.
He finishes up with a small section providing suggestions for the various uses to which the magician's spiritual power can now be put, the various uses of the elements, healing, telepathy, levitation, etc etc. Then follows with a small epilogue.
–
cont.
pt. 3
–
All in all, it's an incredible book, and quite frankly miles ahead of any other publicly available practical training manual for magicians. An aspiring magician could study the rest of the western esoteric syllabus in it's entirety and never come close to what can be achieved through the training outlined in IIH (let alone Bardon's 2nd and 3rd books). The only reason I don't give the book a 5/5 is that a perfect score implies perfection, and while this book is exceptional in almost way, it is not perfect. Quite a bit of the theory section and several of the instructions (including some very important ones) are difficult to understand without outside guidance, while the whole purpose of this book according to the author himself is to provide an easily understandable manual for the individual with no other esoteric training or education. This has caused a lot of problems for those who would follow Bardon's syllabus over the years, which is why the aforementioned companion books are so strongly recommended. How much of this is problems with the initial writing and how much is an issue with the dictation and translation, I don't know, but it's an issue nonetheless. Probably worth mentioning that in the second English edition this is less of an issue, as they appear to have intentionally gone through and fixed the areas and instructions which suffered from a little incoherency.
The second issue is that he almost entirely neglects any mention of or exercises involving the energy centers and pathways of the body. No exercises to raise the kundalini, no advanced breathing exercises to work with the meridians (chi kung) or dantiens (nei kung and nei dan). This is a glaring omission, and while it isn't quite as bad as it sounds, as the exercises he gives will naturally work with these energy systems indirectly, it still leaves out a lot of training that could greatly aid the reader and speed up their development.
There have been quite a few theories as to why this omission was made, especially in light of the fact that Bardon was definitely not ignorant of these exercises. We know that Bardon originally planned to write 4 books, but the manuscript for the 4th was lost in his arrest by the Communist Czech government for practicing healing (spiritual healing at that) without a license, the most consistent rumors state that this last book was intended to be about alchemy. One theory is that this could have meant that the book was to include, or consist entirely of, internal alchemy, as opposed to external alchemy. Another is that he felt such exercises were too dangerous to be practiced without supervision (although this is somewhat dubious in light of the effects that his elemental training can cause if done incorrectly), or that he intended the student to learn them from their Holy Guardian Angel or other instructive spirits (it's worth noting on that point that there are several intentional mistakes and omissions in his second and third books which were put in place with the intention of requiring the student to seek out the correct answer through spiritual contact or astral projection, preventing the unprepared - those who hadn't completed the first 8 steps of IIH - from doing things they weren't ready for). Finally, it's possible that he just didn't feel them to be necessary, that he felt his system was complete enough and that it's practice would eventually activate these systems without direct stimulation. Either way, the lack of even an explanation of the omission is a flaw in a book that is otherwise very nearly the perfect spiritual and magical manual.
So in summary, while not quite perfect, Initiation Into Hermetics is far and away the best practical training manual available to the public. It isn't without it's flaws, but the determined student will go much further with this book than is possible short of seeking out an Adept to teach you themselves, and sadly such teachers are small in number and difficult to locate in our current age. Bardon, himself probably the greatest European magician of the 20th century, did a great service to humanity writing this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Initiation-into-Hermetics-Franz-Bardon/dp/1885928122/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407865424&sr=8-1&keywords=initiation+into+hermetics (yes, there are free downloads of the book easily available, but if you can't spare $30 for such a valuable book, $30 which will go to supporting the publishing house which works to keep Bardon's work available and his legacy alive, then you need to seriously evaluate your priorities. Also, the pdf version circling the various torrent sites is the first edition, in which the quality of translation is noticeably lower).
*
http://forums.vsociety.net/index.php/topic,15084.0.html
>>15429Two other points I forgot to mention (yes, there's more). The first is that while he calls the Initiation Into Hermetics, the system isn't strictly Hermetic, and is in fact compatible with more or less any spiritual belief system. The closest to any religious affiliation is Bardon referencing Jesus several times as one of the great historical adepts, and describing how the miracles he performs in the Bible are actually mostly acts of magic which can be mimicked by the properly trained and developed magician, but this isn't any kind of affiliation of his system with Christianity, just an expression of respect for a man Bardon seemed to hold in particular reverence.
I also got so caught up in my enthusiasm for describing the book and it's contents that I forgot to describe it's tone, because this is another area where the book pulls ahead of the rest. Bardon speaks plainly but in a warm, passionate and occasionally slightly stern tone - it reads less like the grimoires of the medieval/Renaissance era or the dry, textbook style work of the 19th century occult revival writers, and more like an email from a close tutor or professor to a favorite student. By the time you've been working through the book for a while you almost come to feel that you know Bardon first hand, even though he's passed on, there's obviously something of him in his writing (which is another reason I recommend purchasing a real copy instead of pirating - out of respect for the man who poured so much of himself into making these techniques available to those who need them).
>>15430Not a problem. I can't believe I had so much to say about the subject, I started out intended a quick paragraph or two.
Best of luck with your studies.
>>15432Thanks, appreciate that. I hope the same for you.
I often surprise myself with how much I actually have to say about some subject, too. Anyways, I might write a review about Hermetica when I have the time from my studies - school and occultism, that is. Other books might be reviewed too because I will get a new books soon, William Walker Atkinson might interest Fringechan. (New Thought seems to be the channer's favorite.)
>>13344I'm almost done with this, one chapter a day. The axioms are easy to remember and examples are useful, though I skipped some sentences because I had already understood the axiom. Somehow I felt they were 'common sense' to me when I read these, as if I had known these laws and I had now remembered them. I wasn't surprised, though.
I will need to re-read this the second time so I will understand the axioms perfectly, or if not so, even so that I can use them efficiently.
Definitely one of the basic holy books of occultism.
>>15429>(yes, there are free downloads of the book easily available, but if you can't spare $30 for such a valuable book, $30 which will go to supporting the publishing house which works to keep Bardon's work available and his legacy alive, then you need to seriously evaluate your priorities. Also, the pdf version circling the various torrent sites is the first edition, in which the quality of translation is noticeably lower).Oh you're that merchant from /x/ that thinks NEETs like us can afford to pay out $30.00 for a book.
>>15530Anyone can get $30. Hell, go panhandle for a day or two and you'll get $30. Offer to do jobs for friends or family. Get some temp work for a day or two. There's no excuse unless perhaps you're crippled from the neck down, in which case you won't be able to progress through the book anyway (although many of the earlier exercises would still be doable and beneficial).
The only thing stopping you from obtaining a legitimate hard copy is your own laziness, and someone too lazy to do the right thing is definitely too lazy to do the (often painful and or boring) exercises contained in IIH.
>>15537Some people refuse to deal with zog shekels on principle. It is a matter of dignity and integrity.
>>15537How the fuck am I going to send my $30.00 once I have it to order the book?
I'm already way advanced in the practises of
Initiation Into Hermetics and have a PDF copy of every single Franz Bardon book.
Probably more advanced than you.
I'm not lazy, I am just not wasting time on making money when I've got magic to be practising and researching.
>>15540I don't practice IIH, I left it to study under a teacher. Define "way advanced"?
And this is the 21st century, there are a ton of ways to order books from a distance. Not to mention that most decent occult bookstores I've been to have had his works in stock, and those that don't can order them in.
There's simply no excuse except greed or laziness.
>>15565>I don't practice IIH, I left it to study under a teacher. Define "way advanced"?How the fuck do you even find a teacher and why would you study under one?
Way advanced meaning well beyond the first steps of IIH training.
>And this is the 21st century, there are a ton of ways to order books from a distance. Not to mention that most decent occult bookstores I've been to have had his works in stock, and those that don't can order them in.I don't know of any occult bookstores in my area and have never bought anything in my life.
>There's simply no excuse except greed or laziness.You probably have a job, a car, and a whole lot of other stuff you take for granted. I do not.
>>15595
>How the fuck do you even find a teacher You look for people who know what you want to know or can do what you want to do, then you ask them to teach you how to do it.
There are plenty of martial arts schools that teach energy work (chi kung and nei kung) along with the actual martial arts (wushu), if you go to China or Taiwan there's a major culture of people practicing and teaching martial arts and chi kung in public parks, you can contact authors of books or articles which resonate with you and talk to them, there are plenty of schools which have public websites with contact details, there are Buddhist temples in most major cities which teach various degrees of meditative practice, or you could travel to a Buddhist country and study at one of the temples there or look for an isolated teacher, likewise for finding a Yoga teacher in India (although you have to be careful with Yoga, after how much it was co-opted and watered down by the new age movement). I could go on and on, but it's all out there, just screw up your courage and look for it.
>Way advanced meaning well beyond the first steps of IIH training.Someone who had truly progressed beyond the first few steps of IIH wouldn't be a "NEET," they would have overcome the personality flaws that cause such people to seek isolation, separation from society and reliance on others and would be pursuing their life's goals, working within society to make it a better place the way Bardon did, not living in a basement or dingy apartment with no source of income and no real world achievements.
In short, the idea of a NEET who's achieved beyond the 3rd Step of Bardon's system is oxymoronic, because moving beyond the 3rd Step requires elemental equilibrium, which a NEET by definition doesn't have because their emotional imbalance is what causes their current lifestyle.
>>15609NEET is just overused as a joke. Some are simply hermits.
>>15609>You look for people who know what you want to know or can do what you want to do, then you ask them to teach you how to do it.Oh yeah and where the fuck am I going to find them? The Himalayas? They aren't around here. I'm doing this shit alone.
>There are plenty of martial arts schools that teach energy work (chi kung and nei kung) along with the actual martial arts (wushu), if you go to China or Taiwan there's a major culture of people practicing and teaching martial arts and chi kung in public parks, you can contact authors of books or articles which resonate with you and talk to them, there are plenty of schools which have public websites with contact details, there are Buddhist temples in most major cities which teach various degrees of meditative practice, or you could travel to a Buddhist country and study at one of the temples there or look for an isolated teacher, likewise for finding a Yoga teacher in India (although you have to be careful with Yoga, after how much it was co-opted and watered down by the new age movement). I could go on and on, but it's all out there, just screw up your courage and look for it.Are you kidding me? No way I'm going to fucking China or East. I don't have the money, wouldn't be allowed to travel there, and don't want to associate with non-whites.
>Someone who had truly progressed beyond the first few steps of IIH wouldn't be a "NEET," they would have overcome the personality flaws that cause such people to seek isolation, separation from society and reliance on others and would be pursuing their life's goals, working within society to make it a better place the way Bardon did, not living in a basement or dingy apartment with no source of income and no real world achievements.I am extremely busy conducting an absolute fuckload of research and experiments and don't have time for mundane life goals nonsense.
>In short, the idea of a NEET who's achieved beyond the 3rd Step of Bardon's system is oxymoronic, because moving beyond the 3rd Step requires elemental equilibrium, which a NEET by definition doesn't have because their emotional imbalance is what causes their current lifestyle.I didn't say I was beyond the 3rd step.
>>15627Hermits actually have to make an effort to survive
NEETs live in their parent's basement and get everything on a silver platter
>>15632Ok normie, go be butthurt somewhere else, it would be a waste of my time to deal with mundane matters when I should be practising magic and reading. I'd rather let my mother take care of food and so on.
>>15635I don't recall Franz Bardon being a hermit, he survived WW2 and got killed by the commies for practicing his sorcery to help the people in his community instead of reading books all day in his basement.
>>15636Do you know that Franz Bardon had an absolute fuckload of books in his place? When they raided there, the books he had were in the hundreds. I bet you that despite me just reading books all the time (FOR NOW) that Franz Bardon himself read far more books than me. I got to read shit before I throw myself into full-on practising magic all the time.
>>15638Bardon also worked in some capacity or another from the moment he left school till the moment he died (excluding his time in concentration camps and gulags) and lived in his community, helped people who asked him, married and had children, made friends and helped them with their spiritual issues, taught those who asked for training, he contributed to society and his family, he didn't leech off them while hiding from the world in a basement.
>>15650Yeah well Bardon was a higher spirit incarnated with a ton of knowledge from past lives into a body he took over while I've only found out about occultism 2 years ago and spent my whole childhood unaware of it.
You're an annoying twat with no respect for lone practitioners who don't want to pay for books and teachers, even though many people have reached very high level attainments all on their own, without relying on some guru and while living in poverty.
>>15660You don't live in poverty, you leech off your family. If you were in some third world country where people live off a couple dollars a day, then that would be another thing all together, but you're in a first world country and surrounded by opportunities to make money, you'd just prefer to be lazy and selfish and show disrespect to the teachers who made this knowledge available to you and those trying to keep their legacy alive.
I was a lone practitioner for a long time, and I spent most of that time with almost no spending money as a full time Uni student, and yet I still found ways to do the right thing. You've got your whole day free and you can't be bothered spending one or two of them raising $30. It's pathetic, and reflects on a total lack of discipline which will probably result in your failure to actually achieve anything on the spiritual path.
>>15685>surrounded by opportunities to make moneyYou mean a massive growing unemployment rate and massive preference for everyone-but-you-first when it comes to hiring?
Whatever faggot, you waste my time, I've got books to be reading.
>>15709I bet you don't even try to find a job. Even without one, there are all the other methods of making money I listed earlier.
Also calling a fellow student of the hermetic science a "faggot" (and your constant swearing in general) is pretty low behavior for someone seeking spiritual growth.
Not to mention the occasional racist rhetoric you've thrown in throughout your posts - would it interest you to know that Bardon's previous incarnation was as a Tibetan man and that the techniques provided in IIH are primarily Tibetan yogic and tantric practices?
>>15722>I bet you don't even try to find a job. Even without one, there are all the other methods of making money I listed earlier.I don't want a shitty job and to waste time with money and I don't need it. Why is Lumir Bardon, despite literally being the son of a great wizard, not able to make money an irrelevant concern for himself? Why do I have to send in shekels for a physical copy of IIH? I'd rather just materialize a copy of it one day.
I am not adverse to many things that may you want to avoid, it doesn't mean shit if I'm pretending to be all spiritual by behaving like it, without embodying it. Magic for me is about power over everything and I embrace a lot of LHP stuff and alternate. If I can't but can't curse, I fail. If I can feel bliss, but can not inflict terrible suffering upon myself, I am still not that close to The all. I want to be free to subject everything to my will.
I don't believe what anyone says about Franz Bardon's previous incarnations as Franz Bardon never said anything about it himself, it's all just attributed to him by his followers.
I've studied all the religions and I know that for example "akasha" is a hindu term for causal energy.
I am intensely racist but in a way you do not understand properly.
Wanting and not wanting are two aspects of the same thing like hot and cold are both heat.
Hatred and love can both be pure expressions of the divine.
Why do you think we meditate on corpses or learn to change how any food tastes or how its properties effect us?
"Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates." — The Kybalion.
>implying I am not putting the principle of rhythm into effect in my life
>>15737
> Why is Lumir Bardon, despite literally being the son of a great wizard, not able to make money an irrelevant concern for himself?Lumir is extremely old and retired (and also not a magician), and the money isn't to support him, but to support Merkur Publishing and the distribution of Bardon's work, the preservation of his legacy.
>I don't want a shitty job and to waste time with money and I don't need it.Only because you leech off your parents. They spend more time working so you don't have to. You're a parasite. It's pathetic and selfish.
>LHPLHP/RHP is a false dichotomy, at least in the modern, western sense that people use the terms.
>I don't believe what anyone says about Franz Bardon's previous incarnations as Franz Bardon never said anything about it himselfYou're correct to be skeptical about a lot of the claims of Bardon's past lives, but incorrect in your assertion that he never discussed the subject and that there is no reliable information on it.
There are the rumors claim that he was various famous masters in past lives (Hermes Trismegistus and Lao Tzu being the most absurd claims). These, as far as I can tell, were started by Otti Votavova, who was well known for having a case of hero worship as far as Bardon was concerned, and there's no evidence that Bardon ever made any such claims. These are clearly false, and often used as an attack on Bardon by people who believe he made them himself.
However:
"One interesting connection which I have never seen pointed out is that Franz Bardon signed his letters to advanced students as “The Arion,” which can be freely translated into the name Hil-Arion, or “Great Enchanter.” In the late 1800’s, Blavatsky is told by Koothumi that a master adept named Hilarion had recently attained to supreme achievement, and would “soon be ascending” to join the great master adepts of the white brotherhood. Just a few decades later, a spiritual avesh (Bardon) who signed himself as “The Master Arion” is recorded as having been promoted in the White Brotherhood to the station of the twelve Master Adepts. It is perhaps also of interest that in Blavatsky’s account, Hilarion had just finished his training in Tibet. According to his son Lumir, Bardon often talked about his “recent” training in Tibet, and the chores he would have to do for his masters there. "
http://forums.vsociety.net/index.php?topic=15084.0While he doesn't directly discuss his previous life in Tibet in his books (as he barely discusses himself at all), in them he references Tibet, Tibetan culture and Tibetan practices etc. constantly, far more so than any other culture.
I suggest you read the article, it was written by a man who's completed the full IIH syllabus (at least the first 8 Steps, since the last 2 can arguably never be said to be complete) and provides a lot of insight into Bardon, his teachings, his abilities, his values and morals and his lifestyle.
>I am intensely racist but in a way you do not understand properly.A sign that you lack an understanding of even basic spiritual principles. Racism makes no sense when you understand that we are all emanations of the same divine consciousness, and that we have all lived many lives in different races and cultures.
>>15813>Lumir is extremely old and retired (and also not a magician), and the money isn't to support him, but to support Merkur Publishing and the distribution of Bardon's work, the preservation of his legacy.Whatever. I'll send shekels when I have materialization ability.
>Only because you leech off your parents. They spend more time working so you don't have to. You're a parasite. It's pathetic and selfish.lol my mom doesn't even work faggot and my dad works only because he wants to and takes lots of vacation time. I don't give a shit if you think I'm a parasite, I regret that I was born into this world and it's their fault for providing me with this shitty vessel I have to repair so much, before I can be awesome. Time spent working is time wasted, stop trying to turn me into a slave.
Jobs are cancer and most jobs involve fucking up the world in some way or another.
>LHP/RHP is a false dichotomy, at least in the modern, western sense that people use the terms.I'm familiar with both the meaning of it in the Eastern tradition and the Western one and I'm just saying I don't care if I do black magick or be intentionally evil.
>"One interesting connection which I have never seen pointed out is that Franz Bardon signed his letters to advanced students as “The Arion,” which can be freely translated into the name Hil-Arion, or “Great Enchanter.” In the late 1800’s, Blavatsky is told by Koothumi that a master adept named Hilarion had recently attained to supreme achievement, and would “soon be ascending” to join the great master adepts of the white brotherhood. Just a few decades later, a spiritual avesh (Bardon) who signed himself as “The Master Arion” is recorded as having been promoted in the White Brotherhood to the station of the twelve Master Adepts. It is perhaps also of interest that in Blavatsky’s account, Hilarion had just finished his training in Tibet. According to his son Lumir, Bardon often talked about his “recent” training in Tibet, and the chores he would have to do for his masters there. "That's pretty ebin. It's said Tibetan Black Magicians controlled NatSoc Germany too btw.
>While he doesn't directly discuss his previous life in Tibet in his books (as he barely discusses himself at all), in them he references Tibet, Tibetan culture and Tibetan practices etc. constantly, far more so than any other culture.There's a lot of Hindu references.
>I suggest you read the article, it was written by a man who's completed the full IIH syllabus (at least the first 8 Steps, since the last 2 can arguably never be said to be complete) and provides a lot of insight into Bardon, his teachings, his abilities, his values and morals and his lifestyle.I've already read it before.
>A sign that you lack an understanding of even basic spiritual principles. Racism makes no sense when you understand that we are all emanations of the same divine consciousness, and that we have all lived many lives in different races and cultures.No you stupid egalitarian you're the one who doesn't understand it. I can hate races and cultures I was part of before and I can hate the bodily forms which I simply don't like on aesthetic preference. Just because I hate and am racist doesn't mean I don't understand the implicate order, monads, oneness, etc.
It's like you think I shouldn't cut a mole off my body because hurrr durrr it's divine too (it really is divine, but fuck that mole). I want to exterminate inferior past versions of myself.
Also I have used black magick before on others in a way where I feel that I am them, extend my sense into their body, visualize black energy moving in and causing sickness and pain, and I feel everything I am doing to them as I do it but I still do it. Also I've done all kinds of self-harm to the current vessel I'm in, spent yesterday putting a curse on myself just to see I could and it was amazingly effective and really fucked up my face, now I'm repairing it; all for practise. I don't really have any volunteers for steady practise with.
>inb4 the butthurt Here's a mindfuck for you, if I found myself as I am now, but while in a future superior form; I'd go ahead and slaughter myself for keks.
>>15827You're exactly the kind of person Bardon said his book wasn't written for in the introduction, and as long as you remain attached to your absurd and immature ideas you'll never make it past the beginning stages of IIH, or any spiritual training for that matter. You obviously have a long way to go in overcoming your egotism and self delusion. Good luck, you'll need it.
>>15886lol fuck you and this fruitless conversation
You're just eternally butthurt I will not become a wageslave for you.
Apparently not very advanced along the path either.
>>15827>>15893I can't tell if these posts are serious or not. This is /r9k/ tier delusion.
>>15997Nobody should be working 9-5 for worthless fiat paper zog shekels, though hard work is to be admired when pursued for the right reasons, not when to benefit jewish bosses.
>>15999I agree that the economy is broken and that we should opt out where possible, but there are ways to make money without becoming a wageslave, and if you're too unintelligent or lazy for those, then getting at least a part time job is better than being a leech and a thief.
>>15999Not every boss is a Jewish one, and my 9-5 is pretty fulfilling.
>>16020things not gonna end up well for you when you can't be q parasite anymore
>>16026Don't you mean qt 3.14 parasite?
